Regimes such as that of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Kim Yong-un in North Korea, Bashar al-Assad in Syria and that of Hassan Rouhani in Iran, confirm that the theory that only the fittest survive also applies to dictators. Under the cover of a network of front companies and with the help of allied countries, these regimes have evaded economic sanctions for years and have managed to maintain power while many of their citizens suffer countless hardships.